Date: March 10, 2008 at 10:43 pm
KOYUK — Seven teams were all packed together in the space of about an hour as the world’s premier distance sled dog race nears the end of 1,000 miles of racing. Incredible. They poured up the street into this village in a stream, led by four-time champion Martin Buser at 8:44 p.m.
Close on Buser’s heels was Ramey Smyth, then Hans Gatt and Ken Anderson — all within just a few minutes of each other. A half hour later, Paul Gebhardt, Mitch Seavey and Kjetil Backen checked in at the same time.
“Yeah, it’s a wild race. Holy moly,” Gatt said as he grabbed supplies to feed his dogs.
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Date: March 10, 2008 at 3:34 pm
Mackey and King less than a mile apart at Koyuk
KOYUK — Lance Mackey’s team was the first off the sea ice, leading Jeff King in the 2008 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race with only 150 miles to go. But you’d hardly know it by the way the two acted as they stripped off their wind gear, heated water and doled out dry kibble, meat and water to their dogs.
Mackey was plainly frustrated; King was serene.
“I think he’s playing me,” Mackey said of King. “In fact, I know he is. He left Shaktoolik behind me. He ain’t dumb. I’d do the same thing if I had the opportunity.” Mackey went on to say that he can’t outrun King, which is why he pulled over to rest at Koyuk. Mackey made sure his team was parked at the end of the road leading to the trail out of town. When King pulls his hook, Mackey said he’d go, too. “I wish we had another 24 hour break,” he said. “I’d definitely take it.”
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Date: March 10, 2008 at 7:54 am
UNALAKLEET — There’s something about this stage of every Iditarod that’s just tough on the mushers and the dogs. More than usual this year. It’s a mental low point for many. They’d rather be sleeping, putting their feet up — just about anything but going on another run.
At least one of the top 20 drivers going through here said this would be his last Iditarod for a long while, but that’s the kind of thing they’ll say when their eyes are red and swollen from lack of sleep and bodies ache from more than a week on the trail. A week after the finish and they’re already scheming for next year. That glum individual was not John Baker, who seemed to have more spark than others, maybe because the Kotzebue native is heading into his own country. He always seems happier here.
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Date: March 10, 2008 at 5:47 am
Smudge is running for Jon Korta of Galena, Alaska
Age: 5 1/2
Sex: M
Weight: 57 pounds
Breed: AK husky
Bloodlines: Village sprint / Jonrowe
Where does the dog run?: Lead / Swing
Race experience: Quest 250, Beargrease, Tustumena, Copper Basin, Iditarod
What makes this dog special?
“Smudge is one of seven littermates on our team that we have dubbed the Magnificent Seven. They’re born out of a female sprint dog that was given to us by Tom Huntington in Galena and bred to a big male that had come out of Dee Dee Jonrowe’s kennel. They are the litter of dogs that gave us a whole new perspective on mushing, transforming us from a recreational kennel to a racing kennel that can compete in Iditarod. Smudge is the only one of the Mag. 7 who sees serious time in lead. Smudge was a late bloomer as a leader, not really coming around to liking it until he was over 4 years old. Now that he’s got it figured out he’s making up for lost time and is all about getting the team down the trail. Smudge was a key leader for me in our rookie Iditarod last year, and I expect good things from him again this year. Just an all around, really good, cool dog!”
– Jon Korta
Date: March 9, 2008 at 9:34 pm
Mackey cuts rest to leave Unalakleet ahead of King
UNALAKLEET — It was classic Lance Mackey, but with a new twist.
Here he was, loose and friendly as always, almost to the point of seeming like he hadn’t just run a dog team 800 miles, as he hung out for a couple of hours at this first checkpoint on the Bering Sea coast. Mackey strolled down to an espresso stand and got a coffee; he joked and hung out with checkers. He left early, daring the competition to go with him. Classic Mackey. His dogs got off their straw and trotted out without a hint of trouble, smoothly, on a shade under three hours rest. Classic Mackey.
But what he said while he was here was a little out of character. It had a hint of concession.
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Date: March 9, 2008 at 12:03 pm
Or does it? Mackey in position to draft off King
KALTAG — The lead in the Iditarod shifted overnight as mushers got a taste of cool air for the first time in this heat-wave of a race. Jeff King trotted past a resting Lance Mackey at Tripod Flats cabin, grabbing a lead of roughly 10 miles, perhaps an hour and a half. But did the lead really shift?
It’s usually easier to give chase, and Mackey is as trail savvy as anybody out there. With a shorter run to Unalakleet, the reigning champion will also be in a position to take a shorter rest and vault back into the lead.
With Mackey and King duking it out for first, a large field of 18 powerful dog teams either rested briefly here or blasted through. They were in the hunt for third, but also still within reach of second place or victory. The front teams, working on less rest, risked slowing down to the point of being vulnerable; and the teams behind them, including Paul Gebhardt, Hans Gatt, Jessie Royer, Martin Buser, Ken Anderson and Rick Swenson (to name just a few), were large, powerful and running fast.
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Date: March 9, 2008 at 10:47 am
Crackle runs for Ryan Redington of Knik, Alaska
Age: 4 years
Sex: Female
Weight: 50 pounds
Breed: Alaskan husky
General bloodlines: Redington
Where does the dog run?: Leader
Race experience: Sheep mtn., Knik 200 champion, Tustumena 200, Goose Bay 120. This will be her first Iditarod.
What makes this dog special?
“She is the smoothest trotting dog in the kennel. She is a very good leader, excellent gee-haw and keeps the team moving at a good pace. Lots of drive.”
– Ryan Redington
Date: March 9, 2008 at 1:06 am
Mackey blows through Kaltag to make up lost time
KALTAG — Lance Mackey wasted no time here, grabbing a few bottles of fuel, dog food and half a bale of straw, posing for a few photos, putting old reliable lead dog Larry at the front of the team, and boom, he was gone.
“I’ve got to make up some time I lost a while back,” he said as he busied himself with the work, which took all of seven minutes to complete. He hurried, but didn’t panic. His dogs did their customary thing, barking and lunging in their harnesses. They didn’t look at all tired after more than six and a half hours covering a mere 38 miles from Nulato to Kaltag. “Soft and slow,” Mackey called the trail.
“The dogs seem to be enthused, so I better take advantage,” he said before driving off into the dark night under a sliver-thin new moon. “It’ll keep Jeff guessing anyway.”
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Date: March 8, 2008 at 3:10 pm
KALTAG — There’s more than one race within this race, and earlier today I neglected to mention a fun matchup worth watching. It could arguably be called the race between some of the most beautiful teams ever to run the Iditarod: The Siberian huskies.
Right now, it’s the husband and wife team of Blake and Jennifer Freking of Finland, Minn., leading the race of the purebred huskies. They were out of the Cripple checkpoint at 3:22 a.m. Saturday, and Karen Ramstead of Perryvale, Alberta, had checked in at Cripple at 5 p.m Friday, but wasn’t reported out as I wrote this. She’s closely followed by Wayne Curtis of Wasilla, Alaska, also parked at the remote tent camp called Cripple.
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Date: March 8, 2008 at 7:48 am
Gebhardt racing hard despite setback
RUBY — Paul Gebhardt’s dog team jumped off its straw at Cripple and trotted smoothly back out on to the trail, then they gained speed. It wasn’t long before the cagey and dogged veteran with two second-place finishes was devising a new plan to gain back some of his lost time.
Gebhardt had just endured what he described as “the worst run of my life” getting over to Cripple. Slow trail, drenched by wet snow verging on rain, a dog in the bag — it all culminated in a 17-hour struggle and the realization that his shot at winning this year’s race was over. You don’t make mistakes in the Iditarod and win. The competition simply won’t let you. He worried that he’d taken the zing out of his team.
Once he realized they still had it, Gebhardt switched back into race mode. “I might as well get over it and come up with a new plan,” he said, after snacking his team at Ruby. His dogs were bright and their movements were fluid and easy as they nestled into the straw. That’s a very good sign. He’d had to pack another dog most of the way in here, yet still posted one of the fastest run times. “I’m as upbeat as I can get,” he said.
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